This invention relates to a method and apparatus for effecting retubing of a steam generator in a nuclear power plant.
Nuclear reactor power plants utilize a steam generator having a tube bundle to transfer heat from a primary side reactor-heated-liquid to water on a secondary side to form steam for driving a turbine. Condenser leaks in power plants have caused circulating water, which is often brackish, to mix with the secondary-side water in the steam generator, resulting in the buildup of undesirable chemicals in the tube bundle. Water treatment and blowdown have not completely protected the steam generator tubes from corrosion and leaks. As the number of tubes subject to such leaks increases, the desirability of replacement or repair of the steam generator increases. Since removal of a steam generator in its entirety from a nuclear power plant requires removal of a large portion of a reinforced concrete containment vessel, such replacement of a generator in its entirety becomes time-consuming, expensive, and therefore undesirable.